At this point in my crazy obsession with collecting vintage Disneyland images, I am looking to improve what I have rather than amass duplicates of what I already own. This first shot has trumped my August 1959 entrance sign shot by 4 months and replaced it as the earliest image I own showing the famous Disneyland entrance sign on Harbor Boulevard. The slide was stamped March 1959, and if you look close enough, you can see the Castle in the background on the left-hand side.
One dilemma I often have has to do with the qualities of the images I buy. I am a stickler for quality, but if the image shows something rare or a view not in my collection, I'll typically get it even if it's a little blurry, poorly composed, or scratched/damaged beyond belief. You might remember this September 1956 parking lot image that I recently posted. Not the best quality, but I was till excited to get it and have a "you are there" type of viewpoint as the passenger took the photo out the window of the car.
Now, I have been able to update my collection with a full color image from August 1966. Those retro buses look so chic!
25 cents for parking? Wow.
That reminds me of a story I saw printed in the January 1957 Disneylander Newsletter:
During a recent meeting of the Disneyland, Inc. Operations Committee, this incident, involving the question of an increase in the parking lot fee took place.
The question was whether or not a fwenty-five or thirty-five cent charge should be made. During the course of discussion, each member was adding pros and cons to the issue at hand and, at times, were using the expression of "two-bits" instead of twenty-five cents. After the issue had been discussed for what Tommy Walker thought was a sufficient length of time, he asked this question which he thought would work toward a solution.
"Oh, what's the difference between "two-bits" and thirty-five cents?"
Jack Sayers, Chairman of this committee, replied rather solemnly, "ten-cents." After this the meeting broke up.
See more vintage & current Disneyland entrance photos on my entrance web page.
I really like the comparisons between your earlier photos and the replacements. And as far as parking I'd even be willing to pay up to 50 cents a day!
ReplyDeleteAlso added my vote to your Savannah Georgia South Magazine contest. Good luck.
I love the "D-I-S-N-E-Y-L-A-N-D" lettering on the toll entrance. I remember it well and it was always my favorite.
ReplyDeleteYour photos are awesome, whether in color, b&w, rare, pristine, blurry, etc. I think you strike a nice balance with your collection. No complaints from me.
Yep. I remember the 25 cent charge. And then the outrage when it went to 50 cents. Great post Dave.
ReplyDeleteOh, the sign. I love the sign. What an image that was.
ReplyDeleteWe paid well over $50 for valet at the Grand Californian last trip. Unbelievable. Those are San Francisco parking prices.
I bet there was no debate at all over the increase.
JG
Hi Snow - Thanks for the vote! I don't think any of today's guests would complain about 50 cents!
ReplyDeleteJG - Did you know it was going to be $50 when you parked? Heck, that's 2 Monte Cristo lunches!
Dave, my wife told me the parking was going to be expensive, but there was no question of staying anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, it's not that out of line for San Francisco and Chicago first class accommodations. I have paid $50 for a half-day park in the SF Financial District, and the Grand Californian was a better hotel. Even SFO airport parking gets up there. If four of us are to be gone more than 3 days, it's cheaper to take the shuttle than to park.
We're used to it, I guess, but 25 cents touches a nerve.
We drove our own car last visit, so at least we didn't pay $200 to park a rented car.
JG
The second photo is, of course, the less glamorous Katella entrance, as contrasted with the more famous Harbor entrance. The Katella entrance was the experts way of getting in fast.
ReplyDelete